Over the years, The Lance has undergone many changes, most notably ​​the switch to a  color newspaper, making the current print issues some of the most vibrant in The Lance’s history. After January of 2018, the newspaper made the switch to color print. This shift not only modernized its appearance, but it transformed the way stories are told, as color print allows for more eye-catching visuals and appealing headlines and subheadings. Additionally, not only has the style changed, but also our logo. The new logo incorporates the school’s signature symbol, with the recognizable golden knight and “OT” present, which NVOT prides itself on.

In terms of content, there are a variety of front covers showcasing significant victories in sports and teasers at the bottom of the cover. These important wins, combined with collages of photographs and bold colors, demonstrate NVOT’s pride in our athletics and extracurriculars. It is not every day that a high school’s football team wins not one, but two state championships. Every print issue features at least two stories on the front page as well, with a new issue being published once for every sports season. 

Mr. Jason Noyes, the previous The Lance advisor of 2002-2013, talked about the differences between The Lance when he was advisor and its current form, “We were able to make extremely long, large issues. We had some issues that were on 40 pages. It’s the consequence of having so many students be able to do the work. It’s not an issue of whether one’s better or the other. It’s just that we had so many students at that time, and we were able to, because of that, have very large issues.”

The current issue presents many reader-engaging parts to current issues as well, such as a poll on the student body and faculty. Questions are asked such as, “What was your migration experience?” and “Dear NVOT, what do you want?” To add on, an issue may include a QR code or reference to publications on the website to bring readers into the digital publication, for there are no more advertisements but only our own publication to promote through the paper and social media. There’s not much to complain about a newspaper with no ads, and it’s free on top of that.